With the operation of China’s first passengertransport line running at 350 kilometers perhour since August 1, 2008, the reconstructedTianjin Station is operating again with a brandnewappearance, indicating that the main bodyof Tianjin Station Traffic Junction Project, China’slargest comprehensive traffic junction projectunder construction, is brought into service.

Tianjin Station Traffic Junction Project, a majorcomponent of Beijing-Tianjin Inter-City ExpressRailway, is a modern comprehensive trafficjunction project composed of regular railway,express railway, urban subway, long-distancepassenger transport coach, public bus and taxiservice. The project consists of five project areas,including railway station, station grounds(both front and rear), rear-station-ground publictransport center and its auxiliary city transport,and sight-seeing area, totaling an area of750,000 square meters.

Originally built in 1888, Tianjin Station was thenfamous as the “veteran dragon head” station.In 1987, it had the first major reconstructionsince the founding of the People’s Republic ofChina. The next year, at the time of its 100-yearconstruction anniversary, the new Tianjin Stationwas completed and put into operation.

In order to welcome the 2008 Beijing Olympicsand to meet the demand of the ever-increasingpopulation commuting between Beijing andTianjin, Tianjin Station went through anotherreconstruction and expansion starting fromJanuary, 2007.

The original main building of the old stationhas been kept, reconstructed and expanded.The railway yard set-up has changed from theoriginal six platforms and eleven lines to tenplatforms and eighteen lines, with daily passengerflow soaring to 80,000 and 680,000 atpeak times. Apart from this, a four-kilometerstraight-line underground railway will be builtbetween Tianjin Station and West Tianjin Station,effectively connecting Beijing-TianjinInter-City Railway and the in-progress Beijing-Shanghai Express Railway, creating a triangleof express railway network.

For passengers’ convenience, there is an undergroundpassage between the front stationground and the rear station ground at TianjinStation, 246 meters in length and 14 meters inwidth. Through the passage, passengers areable to access the underground floor of thefront station ground, the sight-seeing squareon the ground, front-station-ground publictransport center and the intersection at the undergroundlevel of the rear station ground. Thepassage also links to the station exits, providingeasy access to the subway, buses and taxi.

Upon the completion of Tianjin Station TrafficJunction Project in the year of 2010, there willbe zero-distance transition among urban subway,Beijing-Tianjin Inter-City Express, Tianjin-Qinhuangdao Passenger Transport RailwayLine, regular railways, long-distance passengertransport coaches, urban public buses andtaxis. Using the walkway and elevators in theintersection, passengers are able to transitamong several transport systems without leavingthe station to reach Beijing, Tianjin downtown, Binhai New Area and Binhai InternationalAirport. The intersection is also a convenientshortcut connecting Beijing, Shanghai andNorth-east China. It is so far the most advanced,secure, convenient and efficient intersectionsystem in China.

Tianjin Station Traffic Junction Project is playingan important role in taking off the trafficpressure of the area around Tianjin Station,shaping the major traffic network and improvingthe multi-method transport system of thecity. It is also significant in that it offers easyaccess between Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei CityCluster and the circum-Bohai Bay area, opensup economic communication with other areasand promotes the opening-up of Binhai NewArea and regional economic development ofthe circum-Bohai Bay area.